A useful technique to achieve clarity and structure is the use of 'signposts'.
Signposts include specific words and phrases integrated into the text to direct the reader.
Signposting helps guide the reader through your argument. Whether introducing a new concept, highlighting a transition in your argument, or echoing a key concept, signposting will create and maintain direction and coherence in your writing.
Signposts can be categorised into two main groups: 'major signposting' and 'linking words and phrases'.
Major signposting
Major signposting is generally used to signal the main elements of the work, such as the rationale/purpose of an academic text and its structure.
Here are some examples of major signposting:
- In conclusion…
- The aim/purpose of this study is to…
- This chapter reviews/discusses…
Linking words and phrases
Linking words and phrases establish coherence and provide the reader with guidance by signalling transitions between sentences and paragraphs.
Here are some examples of linking words and phrases:
- …because…
- Firstly... . Secondly...
- For example…
- However…
- Therefore…
Cohesive signposting (an example)
Cohesion is what ties your various points together and guides the reader through your argument.
You can create cohesion using the signposting words and phrases on this page so as to show the relationships between your points.
Cohesive words and phrases are shown in bold in this example paragraph about how language background affects maths skills development:
The time taken to pronounce number words is another linguistic factor that could affect children’s arithmetical development. If number words take longer to pronounce, fewer items can be held in working memory, which could affect the strategies used to solve arithmetic problems (Geary et al., 1993; Geary et al., 1996). In East Asian languages, number words are generally short, one-syllable words, while in English and other languages they can be much longer. The effect of this on working memory is seen in Chinese children’s longer digit span memory compared to their American peers (Geary et al., 1993). It also seems to influence the choice of strategies used by the two groups to solve arithmetic problems, with Chinese children using faster processes than American children (Geary et al., 1996). This limitation of working memory may mean speakers of less transparent languages rely more on slow procedural strategies than speakers of a transparent language, extending even to adulthood (Campbell & Xue, 2001).
